Roberts RD 27 Radio
Good but no cigar. - The main problems:Battery life is very poor - a few hours maximum on alkalies a lot less on rechargeables. Not very portable.Presets: easily lost, although they are easily programmed too.Controls: Some are small, their purpose isn t obvious from a quick glance, they lack feedback. e.g. My elderly father isn t always sure that a button has been pressed. The radio feels substantial, hefty - even without batteries, but it doesn t have same feel of quality about it that classic Robert s product had.Good points: Easy to use: Despite the problems mentioned above operation is simple.Pause: It has a pause facility which allows you to effectively stop listening then resume where you left off.Clarity: Digital has great clarity even if generally not as good an overall sound as FM.Sound: Despite the poor quality of DAB broadcasting in the UK, this unit sounds warm and relatively musical, easily making the best of poor source.Quite a few other digital radios sound distinctly edgy and are hard to listen to. This unit has a room filling sound and is easy on the ear.
Super..... Stunning............. Just brilliant .........Absalotley Brilliant - Well for many years I have used this brand of radio, maybe its the fact the Royals like them , maybe its the stunning build quality Or maybe its Just I have always loved the good value of such a stunning Item such as this Roberts Radio RD 27. The sound is warm clear and perfect in the DAB settings as well as the FM range . Super Bright LCD display . make interacting with this unit a joy . Yes it not light but I really know that the weight adds to the sound quality .I use my radio mainly in the bedroom late in the evening and its nice to know that I hear the sound and the people next door do not. One thing you will find with super quality item like this is the better you buy the better the sound is in your room and that the sound stays in that room . The wood effect trim is really a nice touch. I have used the pause and rewind function and like it a lot (super when your hearing an important news item ). Bad Points ......... Well only one really that has not affected me ....... I bought it as a gift for a family member for Christmas 2007. After fitting the battery s for them so it would be ready as they took it out of the box . I decided to keep it . Sorry Bro I hope you Liked the Socks
Excellent - and battery life is OK - Others have spoken of the sound quality - it really is good. One reviewer was critical of the battery life when using rechargeables. He probably was not aware that the standard D-size rechargeable batteries that you can buy in the shops typically have a capacity of between 2,000 and 2,800mAh, whereas typical alkaline cells (even own-brand types from supermarkets) generally have a capacity of 15,000 to 18,000 mAh (i.e. around 8 times as much). Coupled with the lower voltage of rechargeables it is not surprising that they did not last long. However, it is hardly the fault of the radio given the poor capacity of that type of battery. How do I know this - I am an electronic engineer with around 30 years experience.Buy the radio and enjoy the sound. You won t regret it.
Comments on build quality - Since most of the reviews give an overview i thought i would add some thoughts on the build quality since its a premium radio you would expect a quality build.First up the casing is a solid plastic no flexible casing to be seen. The buttons are the leaf type which is a little disappointing since leaf switches wear out in comparison to microswitches that better buttons use.The volume control has a good feel with a fair amount of resistance similiar (but not quite as good) to my tivoli pal fm radio. The handle has the moulding bur of plastic on the bottom across its length. Nothing too sharp but could be better and will probably wear smooth with time.the display is big and very easy to read although i hate the fact you cant turn its backlight off on mains. (its auto on battery).Overall the build is better than something like the pure one. It could be improved but its still good enough for a premium product. At this price i would of hoped for microswitched buttons though.
The best DAB radio on the market - Sometimes it is worth spending a bit extra and getting the best. This is the case with the Roberts DAB RD-27. The sound quality is excellent...you will be amazed how the sound from this radio fills the room. The digital reception is perfect (not the case with all DAB radios!) The build is retro-stylish, solid and easy to use.And even without the biggest distinguishing feature (PausePlus) this radio is still worth getting over other DAB radios because of the exceptional sound quality. So with the ability to also easily pause and rewind digital radio, this radio is even more than you could wish for. Enjoy.